Today I launched my October 2008 update to West End Community Council. Subjects covered include : * Airport Noise - action taken * Union Place - Road and pedestrian safety concerns * High Mill * West End Christmas Week 2008 * Hawkhill crossing concern * Al-Maktoum Cultural Centre * Seymour Avenue footpaths * West End Phone Boxes The Community Council meets next Tuesday (14th October) at 7pm at the Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall - all local residents are most welcome. The update can be downloaded by following clicking on the headline above.
Another interesting mail drops into my inbox, which I'm sharing because we're otherwise having a quiet day. I also think it will chime rather well with a subset of our readers. I'm not actually an atheist myself, but I am irked at how one-sided the religion-based advertising scene is. The Atheist Bus Campaign is launching officially [...]
As I wrote HERE, I emailed Pendle MP Gordon Prentice to back the Fixed Term in Parliament campaign. I have not had a reply from him or his office and I am getting a little bored. An MP is meant to communicate with Constituents, quickly and efficiently not take longer then two weeks to reply. I haven't even had a confirmation, saying my email has been received. Maybe he has directed my mail to his Spam. If that is what he thinks of Constituents, as being people who he can throw into his spam then maybe he isn't fit enough ...
Just listening to Lenny Henry pointing out how dodgy the lyrics to jailhouse rock are. I always thought it was a good clean song about prisoners having a boogie to some kickin' tunes but, damn him, he's right. Verse three is pretty blatant: Number forty-seven said to number three: Youre the cutest jailbird I ever did see. I sure would be delighted with your company, Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me.Disgusting! And I haven't even started on the activity baking break refers to in a worryingly large number of songs. All I can say is thank heavens ...
{Knights Enham School} Test Valley Borough Council is to introduce a temporary 30 mph speed limit on the northbound carriageway of Newbury Road to allow for works in connection with access to Knights Enham School. The limit will apply to the northbound carriageway only from a point 20 metres north of its junction with King Arthur's Way to a point 350 metres further north. A 30mph limit will apply from Monday 20th October 2008 for a period of 6 months or until completion of the works whichever is sooner. It is expected that the limit will only be required for ...
Is it wrong/immature to react to the conclusion of the Troopergate report with unbridled joy? I have to say I did. When I heard the news on the 9am Radio 4 news this morning whilst lying in bed and did let out a semi-shouted "Yes!". That was in reaction to the news by the way (Mrs. L was still asleep:). And when it came round again at 10am I still listened to it with a big grin on my face. I've found it fascinating to follow its reporting on US news sites and especially how the Republicans/Fox News are responding ...
The BBC wesbite reports: Nominations have opened in the race to become the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Outgoing leader Mike German gave a farewell speech to the party's autumn conference at Clydach, near Swansea. Kirsty Williams, Brecon and Radnorshire AM, announced her intention to stand for the post a month ago; Cardiff Central AM [...]
Do we need a new logo? According to Chandila Fernando's manifesto: Our logo and brand has not changed for nearly twenty years.[...] Establishing a modern, consistent and attractive brand is not an optional extra, it is vital in communicating our appeal to the widest possible audience. Would it not be more consistent to stay with a brand identity that has quite a high public awareness? Thoughts?
Soaring prices of petrol, food and heating are hitting people hard across Bath. It doesn't matter how much you earn, almost everyone is feeling the pinch. Hardest hit are pensioners and others on fixed incomes. Bath MP Don Foster said, "People are fed up with Gordon Brown's excuses for his economic mismanagement. We need action now to help people in Bath. Pensions went up by just a few pounds a week this year. That is quickly wiped out when the cost of basic foods like butter and cheese has risen by a third in a year. Petrol prices remain sky ...
A further resolution at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been tabled as part of the Enquiry process. (Link for full details) 1. The Assembly recognises that the protection of human rights is one of the Council of Europe's core values. It recognises that children are particularly vulnerable and that systems must be in place to protect those children considered "at
That is what someone who looked at the BBC Website, right now would be thinking. As they are two news articles on the Politics page of the BBC Website that talk about demanding something. The Liberal Democrats in Scotland are demanding cuts in income tax as you can read HERE and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown is demanding lower petrol Prices as you can read HERE. The Liberal Democrats are right to demand lower income tax, as the normal family is already feeling the pinch and soon that is going to turn into a Credit Bit, which is gonna hurt ...
...and Jenny Randerson announces that she will be standing. The question is which news will make the headlines tomorrow, that or the fact that Environment Minister, Jane Davidson has decided to call it a day? She will not be contesting Pontypridd at the next Assembly elections. The contest for the Welsh Liberal Democrat Leadership is now sharply defined. We can either have more of the same or a new start with Kirsty Williams, a fresh young leader who embraces change and who can take the party into the future. Meanwhile, we still have a fair few constitutional amendments to get ...
Can a Blog be used against you in an election Campaign? Many people will argue that the blog they write, has been used against them in an election campaign. For example the opposition party (mainly Labour do this) would use something from the blog against you. I don't think this can take place, if a Blogger has a disclaimer on their blog that says it's their personal blog and has no link with any other individual or organisation, then technically that Blog can not be used against them in an election campaign. Or can it...?
I've spent a significant amount of time over the past month or so criticising the other two candidates, but what I haven't done is write about why I'm voting for Ros. The shortest and simplest reason is that for the past year I've seen her walk the talk. The other two candidates talk a lot about campaigning. Ros has got off her arse, toured the country, developed a brand, shored up supporters, experimented with social media (successfully) and built momentum. A year ago, her chances of beating Lembit were minimal. Rather than settling for second place and a pat on ...
Dozens of young people started arriving early this morning to be the first to try out the new skateboard park. They had to wait until the temporary fencing was removed and the Jubilee Way Playscape was finally opened. But this is much, much more than a skate park, exciting as that is. The Playscape is a completely new concept in play spaces - it provides adventurous and...
Vince says: The next two years are going to be absolutely crucial - we've got local elections, European elections and a general election to fight - and the president of the party is a key individual in all of that because it's the president that makes the link between the party and the parliamentarians. Whoever it is will have a absolutely key role in the election campaign as a spokesman for the
At the risk of being accused of picking on Chandila Fernando, I do have a couple of comments now that shiny version of his website has finally been published. 1) Now it has been launched, what is the point of the holding page? If it at least had a sign up form that would be something. As it stands it just makes the content another click away. Does no-one worry about bounce rates these days? 2) When will the UK English version be made available? I'm sure proposes to "decentralize" and "modernize" will go down well with an American audience ...
Short, funny and involving inappropriate behaviour from children - what's not to like.
Soaring prices of petrol, food and heating are hitting people hard across Bath. It doesn't matter how much you earn, almost everyone is feeling the pinch. Hardest hit are pensioners and others on fixed incomes. Bath MP Don Foster said, "People are fed up with Gordon Brown's excuses for his economic mismanagement. We need action now to help people in Bath. "Pensions...
Thursday: THIS is why Governments should not ever ever ever be given powers under the Terrorism Act... because they will use them, and abuse them and get us into a WAR with them. I mean, okay, so why SHOULD Iceland expect to be treated any differently to the way the Government treats our own teenage kids, just because they've got, you know, a NAVY. Still, the people of Iceland should be used to FROZEN ASSETS... oh, come on, SOMEONE was going to say it! But HONESTLY, is it even LEGAL? Even our own Government Ministers don't seem to think so. ...
It is the humble opinion of this blogger that John McCain's goose was cooked before his running-mate once again proved to be the liability she is today. Of course, 'Troopergate' won't help but it seemed to me that Main Street anger at the Wall Street bail-out has found it's natural target in McCain. Working class American's were noticeably reluctant to embrace Obama during the primaries but they have now practically been driven into his arms via their rage. Barring a gigantic turn of events or a spectacular mistake by the Democrat's I would be personally amazed to see any outcome ...
The argument that local authorities could not possibly have known that keeping their reserves in Icelandic banks was risky is becoming harder and harder to defend. Here is Simon Watkins writing on thisismoney.co.uk on 16 March 2008: But the real horrors are in Iceland.Credit insurance for debts at Iceland's biggest bank, Landsbanki, is priced at 610 points while that for Kaupthing is priced at a hair-raising 856. Given that these two have taken billions in UK retail deposits, it may be a sobering thought for savers to consider where they are putting their cash. These banks are now seen as ...
Everybody's favourite Liberal Democrat, Vince Cable, has come out in support of Ros Scott as the party's next President. Watch his video on Ros's campaign website. Thanks to Susan Gaszczak.
Dr Charles West has been chosen as the Liberal Democrat PPC for the Shrewsbury & Atcham Constituency. Better still, he has his own blog.
On Any Questions, Oliver Letwin said about the dubious bonus culture that he thought that bankers would see what public opinion was about then and change their ways because of this! Yeah, right! Banker 1: I hear public opinion is against us being paid loads whatever we do. Banker 2: Blimey, I didn't realise that public opinion was against us, we should pay ourselves less.
The BBC carries news of a grim warning from mental health charity, Rethink. It rates house repossession as being above news of infertility and even redundancy as being the event most likely to cause mental health problems. When you think about this it has some logical coloration as home is a personal; supposedly secure space and taking that away is obviously likely to cause extreme distress. Rethink's director of public affairs Paul Corry told the BBC: "I wouldn't be surprised if we see a rise in the number of people going to their doctor because of mental health problems in ...
This is rapidly turning into something approaching my 'specialist subject'. Since discovering that 'electronic cigarettes' exist I've been doing more investigation. What is an electronic cigarette? It is a smell pen-like objective slightly larger than a standard cigarette. The most popular model is completely black and has a glowing blue LED at the tip when being used so that no-one can be in any doubt that it is not a tobacco death stick. It atomises Nicotine, which is inhaled, and a cloud of water vapour is exhaled. This vapour is completely harmless and has no smell. The end result is ...
An unexpected treat landed on my door courtesy of Electoral Reform Services. Yes, it's Party election time!! No sign of the one we've all been waiting for, but in the meantime an excellent opporutnity to support old friends, laugh at people's artwork and make instant and probably utterly-unfair judgements about people. My favourite was the chap who was standing for the peers list who wrote "60 years a liberal" at the top. How can one resist?! Two names did jump out and me that deserve a vote: Jock Coats for Federal Policy Committee: Jock is known to many of you ...
Mike German O.B.E. A.M. is standing down as the leader of the Welsh liberal Democrats at this years Welsh conference. Here is an interview conducted by myself. It is the only interview of Mike on the net.
We have a by-election for the County Council! With only 7 and a half months to go to the once every four year poll, the member for Hardwick has resigned, just before he would have been disqualified. We have a super candidate already in place for next May and we are raring to go! We plan to have a strong Internet campaign so why not check out Fiona's brand new blog? http://fionawhelan.blogspot.com And of course it will be on Lib Dem Blogs too. If you live or work near Cambridge drop me a message - we need all the help ...
This Councillor nods every time I see him, despite me not being from his Constituency, or being a Conservative. Maybe he reads the Blog?
Last night, someone sent me a link to the following clips on Youtube: Kudos to John McCain for saying that. It's important in politics to make sure that the debate about what's different between different candidates is focussed on policy, and not on dog-whistles. I have been pointed at too many videos of frightened Americans who [...]
The blogosphere wouldn't exist if people only posted on subjects where they have a clue. This means that sometimes you come across some stunningly ill-informed posts. Mike Smithson's post on PoliticalBetting about why savers in Icelandic banks deserve to lose every penny is one of them. Since I've seen people refer to it to justify why Icesave savers 'should be hung out to dry', I thought I'd point out why... Mike's point is that the Icelandic banks were paying higher interest rates, which obviously meant they were a riskier proposition, so anyone losing money as a result deserves what they're ...
Shamelessly nicked from this blog post on Lib Dem Voice, but thought this was worth a repeat airing. From today's Times, apparently: Word of the week: post-turtleA 75-year-old Texas rancher recently explained this term to a country doctor. The conversation turned to the US election, and Sarah Palin's vice-presidential candidacy, and the old rancher observed: "Well, ya know, Palin is a post-turtle." The bemused doctor asked what a post-turtle was, and the old man replied: "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post-turtle." The rancher ...
Something special to look forward to this November, with another set of acoustic gigs at Union Chapel, this year in aid of Mencap. The bands include Stereophonics, Razorlight and Keane. The special gigs will take place every night from Saturday November 8th to Tuesday November 18th. There are so many good reasons to go and enjoy [...]
As I write, Troopergate Day is just coming to an end in Alaska (they're nine hours behind us). So I am just in the nick of time to say that Troopergate Day was aptly named, distinguished as it was by the publication of this legislative investigator's report which says (see snapshot below): Finding Number One For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah
This week, I interviewed a group of anti-consumerist squatters who were trying to set up a money-free social centre. I thought about them when I saw this picture gallery in the Guardian. It should be retitled: "The credit crunch: Continue buying unnecessary stuff... but for less cash." Do cash-strapped families really need £30 (each - I checked) scatter cushions? And how are these £30 (each)
Sitting in a totally silent household as everyone else sleeps, I finally have some peace and quiet to look back, catch my breath and reflect on the amazing 24 hours that have just passed. A normal Friday until I switched on my mobile to check for messages at about 11:00 and discovered a frantic one from my agent, Martin Land, asking me to call him back "immediately" in the tone of voice my mother uses when you know better than to ignore it! A quick call later and I discover to my shock (surprise, amazement and delight once the shock ...
Commenting on the draft budget published this week by the Labour-Plaid Assembly Government, Welsh Liberal Democrat Finance spokesperson Jenny Randerson said: "This draft budget presents a raw deal for local authorities once again. When keeping council tax low is the one way that the WAG can help families during the credit crunch, it's disappointing to see local authorities getting a settlement which is 2% below inflation. "The danger is that local authorities will once again face the impossible choice between cutting services or raising council tax - as a direct result of this Labour-Plaid government's neglect of local authorities. "Far ...
I'm at risk of being repetitive and being an obsession on one small topic, but it's still "welcome to Stead High Street" here in NW3. The progress is that the wall has been repaired, but sadly that hasn't yet extended to the name plate sign. The real solution would be to re-visit the traffic flow down the High Street for the cut through slip road along the front of Greenhill, but that would be complex and would require a serious amount of consensus from residents... Until then I'm looking for the name plate to be replaced.
This headline appears in October's edition of The Flyer (or "the flyer") the glossy in-house magazine produced by Darlington Borough Council for its employees. This magazine is always full of happy smiling faces, with photos of DBC employees winning awards, having babies, getting married, telling us about their hobbies or their jobs. This month's magazine contains a call to arms, though, for
Liberal Democrats won the St. George West Ward, which borders Eastville, from Labour in a by-election on Thursday. Tony Potter polled 923 votes to Labour's 816, and 506 for the Tories. I've known Tony for more years than I care to remember, like me he is a native of East Bristol, and I know he will work hard for the people he represents. I look forward to working with him locally and on the City Council.
According to live bloggers on www.mudflats.wordpress.com the official investigation has declared that Sarah Palin DID abuse her power in trying to get a state trooper sacked from his job via the state commissioner! This is NOT going to play well with the Independent swing voters!
As I said in my 'comeback' post yesterday, it has been a busy month for me. Still very busy at work and not making any promises about returning to daily blogging, but going to give it a try. So, what's been keeping me busy? Well, September is a busy month anyway, with party conferences. Aside from our own, which was in Bournemouth, I also go to the other two with work as well - so add in trips to Birmingham and Manchester. I was best man at my friend Alastair's wedding to Fiona - so that meant a stag weekend ...
See here :-)
Last time around it was a funny with Rhodri G-T being photoshopped out of the photo after resigning as Assembly Heritage Minister. Bit unfair really. This time around its a new team photo. Rhodri Morgan has retained his position as captain and hooker. His other role is to throw the ball in at lineouts. Hopefully out of the reach of the opposition from his perspective. Ieaun Wyn-jones is back as loosehead prop and vice-captain. Andrew Davies is at tighthead prop. Though there are demands from the back row to be tighter and to go forward rather than backwards. Jane Davidson ...
According to the Alaskan investigators looking into the Troopergate scandal. Looks like Todd Palin's taking the can for Miss Sarah The Sun has already picked it up. It leaves some hoary questions: 1. What is the unelected Todd Palin doing getting involved in Sarah McSame's business? What business will he conduct on her behalf if she's VP? 2. If [...]
